Garment steaming and drying apparatus



Nov. '16, 1948. J. c. SHAW GARMENT STEAMING ANb DRYING APPARATUS Filed May 20, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JUL IAN C. S HAW BY ORNEY S Nov. 16, 1948. J. c. SHAW 2,453,730v I GARMENT STEAMING AND DRYING ARPARATUS Filed May 20. 1946 Y V s sheets sheet 2 y E: I INVENTOR 26 =1: 63 FIG-5 JULIAN c. SHAW I BY I ATTORNEYS Nov; 16, 1 948.

.1 c. SHAW GARMENT STEAMING AND DRYING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed may 20, 1946 FIG-6 FIG-9 FIG-8 INVENTOR JULIAN C. SHAW ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 16, 1948 GARMENT STEAMING AND DRYING APPARATUS Julian C. Shaw, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 20, 1946, Serial No. 670,866

7 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for steaming and drying articles of wearing apparel, such as mens coats or overcoats, womens jackets and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus of this kind in which the work is mounted or dressed upon a rotatable form which may beheld in upright position, with its axis extending vertically, or may be adjusted to an inclined position, permitting the processing of garments of various forms, designs and fabrics and with minimum efiort and greater control by the operator.

Another object is to provide an improved garment finishing device including a hollow form on which the garment is dressed and in which the chamber within the form is subdivided in such manner as to permit the flow of air or steam to and through only a part of the garment supporting surface, so as to localize the efiect to a par ticular area of the work.

Another object is the provision in one simple and improved apparatus, of all the necessary features to provide a wide range of finishing.

technique, making possible the proper finishing of any garment, according to the special or' peculiar mode of treatment for which it is best fitted oradapted.

Still another object is to provide improved means for finishing garments by steaming and drying with the possibility of readily controlling both the qualit and quantity of steam, and to also dry by the use of either suction or the flow of heated air.

Another object is to provide apparatus of this kind embodying simplified control devices capable of convenient operation and employed in connectionwith a form for the work capable of adjustment to that position which is most convenient for the operator or which, in his judgment, is most likely to produce the most efiicient results.

Further objects of the invention in part are obvious and in part will appear more in detail herein-after.

In the drawings, which represent one suitable embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, viewed from the right in Fig. 2, parts being broken out to expose interior construction;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on approximately the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, from the left in Fig. 2, and showing the form adjusted to its tilted or inclined position;

Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of the form tilting mechanism, with the form in upright or vertical,

position;

Fig. 5 is a, detail front elevation, showing the tilting mechansm;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional plan view, on the line 6-6, Fig. '7;

Fig; 7 is a sectional elevation of the form, on the line 1-1-1, Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a detail plan view, somewhat diagrammatic showing the air-vacuum duct system, including dampers and blower; and

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional elevation on the line 99, Fig. 2.

The apparatus shown in the drawings includes mechanism and above which rises the work holdi which is mounted a grooved roller l8.

ing form l2.

Form l2, on which the work to be treated or processed is dressed and supported, maybe of any suitable shape according to the particular work for which it is designed. The formshown is particularly adapted for mens top-coats or overcoats, and other shapes may be similarly employed, in addition to that shown, for mens suit coats, womens jackets, or other articles. Indeed a given apparatus may well include several forms of different shape, capable of quick and ready interchange of one for any other, by simply lifting one off and putting another in its place.

Each form, whatever its shape, is a hollow shell made of a layer l3 of strong foraminous material, such as heavy wire screen, over which is laid a cover layer 14 of smooth porous material, such as flannel, cover cloth or the like. At its upper end the form may be provided with a neck form the outside of a ring I6 of L form in cross section.

and provided, interiorly of the form with a plurality, six being shown, of blocks IT on each of These rollers travel around on the upper edge of a supporting member [9 consisting of two angle members l9a, l9b, secured together and provided with opposite stub shafts 20 journalled in stationary supporting legs 2| secured to or forming part of the main frame l0. A curved, bifurcated yoke 22 extends downwardly from one side of the supporting member I9 and is provided with a depending arm 23, the lower end of which travels above a treadle lever 24 pivoted at 25 in the frame and the upright position shown in Fig. 4, the operator.

can tilt the form against the tension of spring 2'1 by pushing back on its upper part, arm 23 sliding forward along treadle 2 1 until its end engages Stop 241) and enters locking recess 3i]. By depressing treadle 24 against its spring 29, the arm is released from the recess and the form automatically swings back to its former upright position.

To releasably hold the form in place on its support and prevent its escape therefrom, especially when it is tilted, I may employ a few brackets 28 each releasably attached to member l6 and extending down around the flange of member l9. Removal thereof permits one form to be removed and another substituted for it.

Air flow may be produced by a suitable fan or blower 3i operated by motor 32 (Fig. 8). The inlet to the blower communicates with asupply duct 33 having an air supply opening 34 to atmosphere,

controlled by valve or damper 35, said duct, be-

yond the vane, communicating with a conduit 36. The outlet from the blower communicates with a discharge duct 31 having a vent opening .38 to atmosphere and also with a conduit 39 leading to a heater 4% beyond which a continuation of conshort tubular section of flexible impermeable material, such as heavy canvas, roughly conical in shape, to the lower or depending flange of member Iii, so that the air conduit system communicates with the cavity or space within the form.

With the motor 3-2 in operation and the dampers in the positions shown in Fig. 2, the fan or blower creates a suction or vacuum effect within the hollow form, drawing air in through its'wall and through the garment dressed upon it and discharging the air through the vent outlet 38. Air flow through the heater is cut off by damper M and the air inlet opening 3 3 is closed by its damper 35. Thus a moist garment may be dried by a vacuum effect.

By adjusting handle 48 to its other position, shown in Fig. 8, damper is opened and damper M closes the vent opening 38. Now air is drawn in through inlet opening 35 and is caused to flow through the blower, then through the heater and then upwardly into the chamber within the form and outwardly through its foraminous wall. Thus a moist garment may be dried by passing heated air through it.

Provision is also made for steaming a garment dressed on the form. For this purpose I provide a hollow steam dome, marked generally 5!, lying within conduit 36 and having an upper steaming chamber 52 and a lower heating chamber 53 separated by a cross wall 54. Steam is circulated through the heating chamber by the steam pipes 55 which are also connected to the coils 49 of the heater 40, as shown in Fig. 2. The semispherical upper wall of the dome is provided with jet openings 56 and its steaming chamber is connected to the steam supply pipes by a conduit 5'! in which is a valve 58 operated by a lever 59 connected by link 60 to a foot treadle 6| biased toward valve closed position by a spring 62, the spring being also connected at its opposite end to latch lever 63, the hooked pivot end of which engages toothed segment 64 (Fig. 1).

Whenever the treadle BI is depressed, valve 58' opens and steam is supplied to dome chamber 52, from which it is discharged into duct 36 and thence through conduit 50 to the chamber within the form. Steam flow will continue until the release treadle is depressed to disengage it from segment 64, when spring 62 automatically returns the parts to valve closed position. The heating steam flowing through chamber 53' prevents the condensation of moisture in chamber 52 and-insures a supply of dry steam.

By partly moving damper handle 48 from its through the axis of the form, and which divide the cavity within the form into a plurality of chambers. One such wall and two chambers 66, 6'? are shown, although more chambers may be provided, if desired. The otherwise circular opening through supporting ring i9 is partl closed by a semicircular imperiorate plate 68 secured-thereto. The lower edge of wall may be provided with a sealing strip 69 which registers with and. lies close to a corresponding strip 10 along the edge of plate 88 when the parts are in the posi tion shown in '7. Under those conditions steam, or air, or both, may be caused to flow, or a suction ei fect may be produced, only through or in chamber 51, but by manually rotating the form around its vertical axis chamber 66 may be brought into registry with the ring opening, and a like efiect produced in said chamber. Thus treatment may be applied to only that part of the garment overlying a single chamber, and other parts of the garment lying over the other chamher and already treated are undisturbed,

The garment supporting structure shown is mounted to permit rotation about its vertical axis, and to allow tilting from the normal vertical position. The form, tilted back in this manner, accomplishes a dual purpose: to support the garment upon a form of correct contour; and to allow the garment to lie of its own weight upon the upper or Working surface of the form. Any fullness of material depends below the form, and all sections of the garment successively may be held in smooth contact with the upper half of the form as the latter is manually rotated. This feature is particularly valuable when employed in conjunction with vacuum drying. In addition, the form may be used in tilted position during the steaming or the air-drying operations, or these operations may be carried out with the form in its upright position, depending upon the type of garment, fabric, etc, as determined by the operator.

The mounting arrangement of the form also adapts it for ready interchangeability, so that forms for mens suit coats, womens jackets, etc, may similarly be used in addition to that shown, which is primarily for topcoats and overcoats.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base and provided with partition means dividing the space within said form into a plurality of chambers, each open at its bottom, means for producing air flow through said chambers by way of their bottom openings, and means efiective while said air flow producing means is in operation for obstructing flow through all but one of said chambers.

2. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base for rotation about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of vertically extending chambers each having a bottom opening, an air conduit mounted in the base and provided with an opening at one side of said axis into registration with which any one of the chamber openings may be adjusted by rotation of said form, and means for producing air flow through said conduit and into the chamber registered therewith.

3. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base for rotation about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of vertically extending chambers each having a bottom opening, an air conduit mounted in the base and provided with an opening into registration with which the chamber openings may be adjusted by rotation of said form, and means for producing air flow through said conduit and the chamber registered therewith, said form also being adjustable about a horizontal axis either to a tilted position or to an upright position with its axis vertical without disturbing the relation of its chambers to said conduit.

4. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base for rotation about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of vertically extending chambers each having a bottom opening, an air conduit mounted in the base and provided with an opening into registration with which the chamber openings may be adjusted by rotation of said form, means for producing air flow through said conduit and the chamber registered therewith, said form also being adjustable about a horizontal axis either to a tilted position or to an upright position with its axis vertical without disturbing the relation of its chambers to said conduit, and means for introducing a supply of steam to said conduit.

5. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising, a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base for rotation about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of vertically extending chambers each having a bottom opening, an air conduit mounted in the base and provided with an opening at one side of said axis into registration with which any one of the chamber openings may be adjusted by rotation of said form, and means for producing air flow into or out of said conduit and into or out of the chamber with which it communicates while said openings are in registration, thereby to cause air flow either outwardly from the chamber or inwardly into the chamber through a garment draped upon the form.

6. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base for rotation about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of vertically extending chambers each having a bottom opening, an air conduit mounted in the base and provided with an opening into registration with which the chamber openings may be adjusted by rotation of said form, means for producing air flow through said conduit and the chamber registered therewith, said form also being adjustable about a horizontal axis either to a tilted position or to an upright position with its axis vertical without disturbing the relation of its chambers to said conduit, and means for releasably locking said form in tilted position.

7. Garment finishing apparatus of the character described, comprising a base, a hollow, foraminous garment supporting form mounted upon said base for rotation about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of vertically extending chambers each having a bottom opening, an air conduit mounted in the base and provided with an opening into registration with which the chamber openings may be adjusted by rotation of said form, means for producing air flow through said conduit and the chamber registered therewith, said form also being adjustable about a horizontal axis either to a tilted position or to an upright position with its axis vertical Without disturbing the relation of its chambers to said conduit, yielding means normally maintaining said form in vertical position, and means for releasably locking it in tilted position when adjusted thereto.

JULIAN C. SHAW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 872,718 Duggins Dec. 3, 1907 2,338,776 Miller Jan. 11, 1944 2,378,565 Locke et a1 June 19, 1945 

